Supplementary Training: Strength, Mobility & Core for Runners
Running is an incredible sport, and its beauty lies in its simplicity—just lace up your shoes and go. But if all you do is run, you’re missing out on a critical piece of the puzzle. Supplementary training is an often-neglected element that can elevate your performance, reduce your risk of injury, and make your running experience even more enjoyable. Let’s explore why supplementary training is a game-changer for every runner.
TL;DR
- Strength, mobility, and core work are often overlooked but crucial for runners, and just a couple sessions per week can significantly improve performance and reduce injury risk
- Strength training improves stride efficiency, running economy, and stabilizes joints by addressing muscle imbalances
- Mobility enhances stride length and fluidity, preventing joint tightness and imbalances
- Core training stabilizes the torso, improves energy transfer, and prevents poor posture and excess movement
- To help you get started, we’ve created a table with exemplary routines you can follow
- Incorporating these elements will help you run stronger, longer, and with more enjoyment
Strength: Building Power & Resilience
Running is a full-body sport, and without a solid foundation, your muscles, tendons, and joints are at higher risk for injury. Strength training builds muscle power, making each stride more efficient—especially during the final miles of a race.
Enhance Performance: Strength training improves the power of your stride and helps your body generate more force with each step. Stronger muscles lead to better running economy, meaning you can run faster and longer without expending extra energy. It also enables you to maintain better form throughout the run, which is essential for improving race times.
Reduce Injury Risk: Many running injuries, like shin splints or runner’s knee, are caused by muscle imbalances. Strength training targets the muscles that stabilize key joints (hips, knees, ankles), improving joint stability and reducing injury risk.
Getting Started: You don’t need hours in the gym to see results. A couple of 30-minute strength sessions per week can make a significant impact. Focus on compound exercises such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts that target your legs and glutes. Incorporate movements that mimic running mechanics to build the muscle groups used most.
Mobility: Moving Freely & Efficiently
Running requires a full range of motion, and tight muscles or stiff joints can limit your stride and efficiency. Mobility training helps you move freely, allowing for smoother, more effective runs. As you get older, maintaining mobility becomes even more important to stay injury-free and continue running at your best.
Enhance Performance: Improved mobility increases your stride length and allows for a more fluid, powerful running motion. The more mobile your muscles and joints are, the less energy you’ll waste, and the easier it will be to maintain form during long runs.
Reduce Injury Risk: Restricted mobility can lead to compensations that strain muscles and joints, often resulting in injuries like strains or sprains. Regular mobility work helps prevent tightness and imbalances, keeping you injury-free.
Getting Started: Incorporate dynamic stretches before runs, like leg swings and lunges, and spend a few minutes after each run stretching. Dedicate 10-15 minutes once or twice a week to mobility exercises, focusing on the hips, calves, hamstrings, and quads to prevent tight spots from affecting your running.
Core: A Strong Base for Better Running
Your core is the center of your body’s stability, playing a key role in running efficiency. A strong core helps maintain good posture, improves form, and supports better energy transfer from your upper to lower body. As you age, maintaining core strength becomes even more crucial to avoid compensatory movements that can lead to injury.
Enhance Performance: A strong core stabilizes your torso, allowing for more efficient use of your energy with each stride. It helps you maintain form, especially during longer runs, and ensures that power is properly transferred from your upper body to your legs.
Reduce Injury Risk: Weak core muscles can lead to poor posture and excess movement, increasing strain on your lower back, hips, and legs. Core training helps prevent these imbalances, reducing your risk of injuries like lower back pain and hip issues.
Getting Started: Incorporate functional core exercises like planks, Russian twists, and bird dogs into your routine. Aim for two 10-15 minute sessions per week to strengthen your core and improve overall stability. The older you get, the more vital it becomes to keep your core strong for better posture, balance, and injury prevention.
Building Your Routine
Strength, mobility, and core training are key to making your body more resilient, efficient, and balanced, helping you run faster, longer, and injury-free. While these areas are foundational, other supplementary training—like flexibility exercises and plyometrics—can further complement your training.
We’ve gathered exemplary—tried and tested—routines to help you get started. From these foundations, you’ll find plenty of additional excercises to explore and tailor to your needs.
